Storytime
by StakeTheHeart
Summary: Sequel to Happy Birthday. A nice family day comes to a close but it isn't over until Tori or Jade tell their daughters a story. It's Jade's turn tonight, and she has one that reminds her and Tori of their own story, with some exception of course. One Shot


**I'm aware this can turn out very boring for those who've watched the mentioned movie more than they can count, but, oh well. I enjoyed writing it, adding commentary from the West-Vega bunch, and imagining the gang in the story too much to care. This will be the last thing I write for this arc unless I'm asked to elaborate on another aspect of it. Otherwise, I'm done with it. Happy Valentine's Day!**

* * *

With such talented parents it was no surprise that Elise and Annabelle would take advantage of story time, especially if it meant listening to an interesting twist on an old tale devised by their mothers. It was mom's turn, and they knew mommy didn't agree with the content of her stories sometimes so she was sure to be present every time. On the other hand, mommy's stories were usually so sappy mom wanted to sit out, but she wasn't allowed. The girl's agreed that their moms were ridiculous but they loved them. Elise was now eight and beginning to no longer need a story at bedtime anymore but liked her mom's so she stayed up with her five year old sister to listen. Tonight's story promised to be a new and interesting one, or so her mom said. Either way she knew she would enjoy it.

"Ok, are you all comfortable?" Jade asked her daughters. They nodded.

"No scary stories tonight," Tori advised, giving Jade a pointed look.

"You killjoy. But no, it won't be scary. Actually, in celebration of Valentine's Day, the great family time we spent together, and all the love I have for you guys, I'll be telling a romantic story. As sappy as it is at least there's some fighting in it," Jade informed them. Tori smiled from her place lying next to Annabelle who copied her sister and made a mockingly disgusted face at the mention of romance. They both giggled right after. Jade shifted next to Elise so that she was better adjusted then cleared her throat.

"In a faraway land-" she began, only for Elise to grip her hand to get her attention.

"Yes?" she stopped to look down at her.

"Don't you mean 'once upon a time'? All stories start that way," Elise told her.

"Not all stories," Annabelle remarked. Tori shushed her with a hand on her shoulder. The two could argue just as well as their mothers so she had to stop them before they got started.

"Yes they do," Elise retorted. It was Jade's turn to calm her daughter.

"Ok, ok, I'll start again. Lay down and listen. Relax," Jade amended. Both girls huffed out a breath but laid down, silent once more. When Jade was sure they were done arguing she began again.

"Once upon a time in a faraway land a young princess lived in a shining castle. Although she had everything her heart desired the princess was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered her a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold," Jade began, eyeing her girls who had lit up with recognition. Tori looked at her with a questioning raised brow but she just continued.

"Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the princess sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned her not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when she dismissed her again the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The princess tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen no love in her heart. And as punishment, she transformed her into a hideous beast and released a powerful spell on the caste and all who lived there. Ashamed of her monstrous form, the beast concealed herself inside her castle with a magic mirror as her only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose which would bloom until her twenty first year. If she could learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell then the spell would be broken. If not, she would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed she fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?" Jade said, her voice soft yet fluid as she finished the introduction to the story. This particular tale was always her favorite. It was all the more ironic that she and Tori practically met and fell in love in this same way which made it all the more meaningful to her. She wasn't fond of love stories as much as Tori though, so she often had her own little things to add, but for the most part she would try to stay true to the tale.

"This is going to be good. I can tell," Elise whispered excitedly. Annabelle nodded and Tori chuckled. Jade smiled, brushed back her eldest daughter's hair, and then prepared to tell the long bedtime story. She hoped they would be asleep by the end, since they tended to stay up late recently, but she had a feeling they would want to stay up through this one so she hoped for tired at best.

* * *

_The little town nestled among the forest of trees surrounding it was home to a humble young woman living with her father. It was a quiet and peaceful place but every day was like the one before it. She wanted something more. That was why today she left home to go to the bookstore where she would turn in her finished book, about a beanstalk and an ogre, with another hopefully just as interesting read. She just couldn't get enough of stories and the worlds they opened up to her; places far from her home, places exciting and new. There had to be more out there. She wished to travel outside the poor provincial town she lived in, but since she couldn't, she delved into books instead. She made her way into the small town and headed straight for the bookstore, exchanging greetings with the townsfolk who all knew her by name as she knew them. She also knew they thought her to be a funny girl for her love of books and daydreams. She didn't care though. She made sure to catch a ride on the back of a wagon she knew to pass the bookstore and hoped off to enter. The bell rung, announcing her arrival._

"_Ah, Victoria!" the old shopkeeper greeted._

"_Good morning. I came to return the book I barrowed," she replied, handing him the book then rushing to find another._

"_You're finished already?" he questioned, not at all surprised._

"_I couldn't put it down. Do you have anything new?" she responded as she climbed the ladder in her search to find anything of interest in the big bookshelf at the back._

"_Not since yesterday," he told her with a laugh._

"_That's ok. I'll just barrow…this one," she said, running her fingers over many spines of books before finding the one she was most familiar with and pulling it out from its place between two others to hand to him._

"_That one? But you've already read it twice!" he exclaimed after holding up his spectacles to read the title._

"_Well it's my favorite," she pointed out, hopping off the ladder animatedly._

"_Far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!" she explained excitedly. The shopkeeper chuckled fondly._

"_If you like it that much, it's yours," he offered, handing her back the book which she took with surprise written all over her face._

"_But sir!" she tried to decline but he shook his head._

"_I insist," he pressed._

"_Well thank you! Thank you very much!" she told him, waving as she headed out the door. He waved back then returned inside. Instantly she cracked open the book and began reading while she began heading back home. Obstacles weren't a problem. She had gained the ability to dodge them all while her nose was stuck in a book. Oh, and here was the part where the girl in the story meets the prince, but she doesn't know it yet. Not until chapter three. As she walked she heard some of the townsfolk whispering once again. She was nothing like them and never would be. Not after dreaming of something more. After all, there had to be more than this provincial life. She glanced up from her book to see that she was finally at the stone bridge at the edge of town that would take her down the path to her home, but then it was blocked by a tall, muscular, body. The red shirt was a dead giveaway as to who it was._

"_Hello Victoria," Ryder greeted her, suave tone doing nothing to woo her. In fact, she disliked the hunter and always turned him away but he never seemed to get the message._

* * *

Elise and Annabelle playfully 'booed' and Tori laughed. Jade thought back to the time Tori had been going out with Ryder Daniels. She hated him and didn't like that Tori was with him. It wasn't a surprise that he was a sleazy wazzbag which Jade may or may not have threatened with her scissors. But Tori was hers now and that was the way it would always be.

* * *

_Tori was raised to be respectful though so she put up with him the best she could._

"_Hello Ryder," she responded, not looking up from her book until he sauntered over to take it from her._

"_Can I have my book please?" she requested, irritation carefully held back. He hunched over the book and flipped through it._

"_How can you read this? There's no pictures in it," he stated. She tried to get it back but he pulled it away._

"_Well, some people use their imagination," Victoria pointedly replied._

"_Victoria, it's about time you got your head out of those books and paid attention to more important things. Like me," he told her, tossing the book in a mud puddle then blocking her from retrieving it. Somewhere behind her she could hear Ryder's three admirers sighing. She rolled her eyes and then set her sights back on her discarded book._

"_The whole town's talking about it. It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas and thinking…" he said, disgust and disapproval in every word. Victoria just crouched to get her book now that he moved out of the way then began cleaning it off._

"_You know, you're positively primeval," she told him. He chuckled proudly._

"_Why thank you. Hey, what do you say you and me take a walk over to the tavern and take a look at my trophies?" he suggested, snatching the book from her again and then pushing her back towards the direction of town._

"_Maybe some other time," she replied, uninterested. She took back her book then turned around to head home. He stood there, frown in place._

"_I can't. I have to get home to help my father. Good-bye," Victoria insisted. At that moment, Ryder's pal Steven walked over carrying pelts. He laughed uproariously and dropped what he was carrying._

"_That crazy old loon! He needs all the help he can get!" he shouted. Ryder smirked in amusement then laughed with him._

"_Don't talk about my father that way!" Victoria demanded, hands on her hips._

"_Yeah! Don't talk about her father that way!" Ryder repeated, shoving Steven with enough force that he tripped over the pile of pelts and fell over._

"_My father isn't crazy, he's a genius," she continued in defense. As soon as the words left her mouth an explosion and a high pitched whistle spouted smoke from all windows of her house in the distance. She spun around to look at it while Ryder and Steven laughed again. She ignored them and ran off down the road, intent on making sure her father was ok. She approached her home and threw open the cellar doors, letting out more smoke. She could hear her father coughing somewhere in the cloud._

"_Papa?" she questioned as she entered, coughing on the smoke too._

"_How on earth did that happen?" her father's voice responded. He was picking himself up from where he laid on the ground when she reached him._

"_Are you alright?" she asked him as she looked around the messy work space._

"_I'm about ready to give up on this hunk of junk," he replied, agitated._

* * *

Annabelle snickered, making Tori raise a brow.

"Sounds like papa alright," she explained. Tori made a face and Jade laughed along with Elise.

"It does, doesn't it?" Jade agreed. Tori's dad was known for trying endlessly to fix his car only to make it worse and then having to buy a new one or have an actual mechanic fix the original problem plus the one he made.

"Shush and keep going," Tori scolded. She wasn't really angry because she still had a smile on her face. Jade nodded and let it drop.

* * *

_David kicked at the machine he had been working on for months now. The heavy material just hurt his foot and threatened to fall over._

"_You always say that," Tori replied with a smile and a shake of her head._

"_I mean it this time! I'll never get this thing to work!" he grumbled._

"_Yes you will and you'll win first prize at the fair tomorrow," she corrected. She honestly believed he would. He just needed to know he could too._

"_And become a world famous inventor," she tacked on after he grunted and turned away. At that his interest piqued._

"_You really believe that?" he asked. Victoria patted his arm._

"_I always have," she reassured him._

"_Well, what are we waiting for? I'll have this thing fixed in no time!" he exclaimed, running over to slide under the machine. He asked for a strange tool and she turned to the toolbox to get it for him. As he worked he asked her about her trip into town. She told him about her new book and then questioned him about how the town thought she was odd. She was beginning to think she was because she wasn't sure she fit in there, but she wanted her father's opinion. He dismissed the idea without hesitation. She should have known. She told him how there was no one who she could talk to and her father mentioned Ryder. She frowned just by hearing his name. He was handsome, yes, but he was also rude and conceited. No, he wasn't for her. Her father allowed the suggestion to pass, worked at the machine a little longer, and then announced that it was done. He pulled the lever and it let out a sound along with more smoke. The cogs and mechanics began to move. The axe attached to it began chopping the wood set out in front of it then flung it over to the pile against the wall. They both watched in awe._

"_It works!" Victoria exclaimed._

"_It does?" David muttered, unsure at first. But then he ducked an incoming chopped log._

"_It does!" he cheered._

"_You did it. You really did it!" she congratulated him with a hug._

"_Hitch up Sammy, girl. I'm off to the fair!" he shouted, getting hit in the head a moment later by a log. He rubbed at his head and Victoria rushed to him. After turning off the machine they tended to the bump on his head then prepared him for his journey. Now Victoria stood outside, waving to her father who was on their horse with his invention pulling along behind him. She hoped he would win. It really was an amazing invention. She stayed outside until she couldn't see him anymore then returned inside. She kept herself busy and made sure the house was in order before turning in for the night. Deep in the forest and far from town, David was trying to find his way through. Unfortunately, he was all turned around and it was getting very dark. Sammy was panicking and he was starting to feel ill at ease too. Wolves howled in the distance, making the skittish horse back into a tree before taking off, the bats that lived inside taking to the sky. They circled them, adding to the frightened frenzy. Sammy ran and ran but came to a skidding stop at the face of a cliff. David carefully guided him away from the edge only for him to buck in fear at the sound of the approaching wolves. David fell off the horse, landing heavily, while Sammy ran away. He tried calling for him but he was long gone, two wolves on his tail. Now David was alone in the dark, the lantern he carried having gone out when he fell. He threw his cloak off his face and stood up, looking around. Three wolves stalked closer up at the top of a hill. David gasped and began running as fast as he could. He didn't know where he was going but anywhere far from the wolves was ideal. He tripped on a tree root and well down an incline. When he looked up it was to see a tall and imposing gate. If he could just get inside he would be safe. Whatever lied past it had to be better than the wolves still chasing him. He pushed up and ran for the gate, shaking it in a panic to get it open._

_"Help! Is someone there?" he called. The gate swung forward and he tumbled in. He kicked it closed just as the wolves lunged but crashed into the metal obstacle. Another grabbed at his foot when he tried to craw away but he shook it off then rushed to put distance between them. Now that he wasn't being attacked he could check his surroundings. He gasped in awe at the huge castle looming over him. A flash of lightning and drifting grey clouds signaled rain which came falling in sheets a moment later. David ran to the front door and knocked. It creaked open and he poked his head inside. His first look at the interior was empty and utterly quiet. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him. His voice echoed as he called for someone, anyone, who could provide him with help. He didn't want to barge into someone's home but he didn't want to sit out in the rain or travel through it with wolves chasing him the whole way either. He thought he heard low whispered voices but he wasn't sure so he wandered in further while assuring whoever it was that he just needed a place for the night then he would be on his way._

_"Of course sir, you're welcome here," a voice finally answered._

_"Who said that?" David questioned, picking up a nearby candlestick so that he could see. He turned around looking for the voice and was patted on the head. He brought his arm down to stare into the animated face of the candlestick he held._

_"Hello," it greeted him. He dropped it in shock. He didn't know if he was seeing things or that there really was a talking and moving candlestick. A clock came racing over, scolding the candlestick. Without thinking, David picked it up to examine it._

_"Hey! Put me down!" it demanded, slamming the front glass panel of its body on his poking finger. He pulled away with an apology. He tried to explain himself when a violent sneeze cut him off._

_"You're soaked to the bone. Come on, warm yourself by the fire," the candlestick offered, hopping in the direction of a door off to the right. The clock was set down but he didn't stay quiet. He tried to tell the candlestick the dangers of inviting a stranger in the castle but he was ignored. The candlestick led David to a chair in front of the fire where everyone made him comfortable. The clock only managed to fall down the low stairs while demanding that they stop. Still, they didn't listen. He even got ran over with the tea cart for trying. Suddenly, the doors swung open to hit the wall behind them. A gust of cold wind flew in to turn out the fire, casting the room in darkness. Everyone huddled together, knowing who had shown up. David shuddered in the chair, a feeling of dread falling over him. The large horned shadow played over him and he slid down in the chair._

_"There's a stranger here," the growling voice stated._

_"Well, let me just explain. The gentleman was just lost in the woods and he needed a place to stay-" the candlestick began but a mighty roar silenced him._

_"I just wanna say I wasn't a part of this! It was all **his** fault! I tried to stop him. Would they listen to me? Oh no-" the clock babbled while pointing at the candlestick, only for another roar to silence him too. David looked to one side of the chair and then the other, coming face to face with a large beast. Its teeth were bared and anger gleamed in its eyes which were locked on him._

_"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the beast snarled, forcing David to abandon the chair and back away, the beast climbing over it to follow him on all fours._

_"I-I was lost in the woods and-" he answered but the beast had enough._

_"You're not welcomed here!" it roared, towering over him now._

_"I-I'm sorry," he apologized, eyes wide and unable to look away from the creature standing to full height before him._

_"What are you staring at?" it demanded, offense in every word._

_"N-nothing," he replied quickly._

_"So, you've come to stare at the beast have you?" it raged, swiftly jumping in front of David when he tried to run._

_"I meant no harm! I just needed a place to stay!" he pleaded. The beast growled low._

_"I'll give you a place to stay," it responded, gripping him by the front of his shirt and picking him off the ground. He begged to be released but the beast just dragged him out, knowing the perfect place for trespassers. The next day was quiet for Victoria without her father. She missed him already but now she had a quiet spot to read. She curled up on a chair and opened her book. She got to another good part when someone knocked on the door. She set her book down on the table and got up to answer it. She made sure to use her father's invention for peeking outside first to see who was there. She made a face and groaned when she saw that it was Ryder._

* * *

Both of the girls made a face too which Jade smiled at.

"Why can't he see she doesn't like him?" Elise questioned. Tori shrugged.

"Some boys just don't get it," she answered. Jade scoffed and shook her head.

"Yeah, but they do once you wave around some scissors and…" she began but let her sentence die out at the look Tori shot her. Annabelle giggled and Elise smiled, looking from one mom to the other. She knew of their own boy problems, told to her in a way that suggested her mom being mommy's hero from the mean boy but not exactly how she did that.

"So, um, as I was saying," Jade continued. There was no point arguing at the moment but she was determined to impart on her girls the importance of making boys take no for an answer. Maybe not as violently as she did it, but still. Tori couldn't keep them all cute and innocent forever, as nice as that was, but she was set on having them be less…scary. Jade smiled to herself at that, understanding Tori's reasoning. So, she dropped it and carried on.

* * *

_Victoria didn't have it in her to ignore him so she opened the door. She barely got the door open before he shoved it aside. He stomped into the house like it was his own._

"_Ryder, what a pleasant surprise," she greeted. He walked in, standing close to her with his hands resting on his belt and his chest puffed out. She wondered what he was doing here._

"_Isn't it though? I'm just full of surprises. You know, there's not a girl in town who wouldn't love to be in your shoes. This is the day-" she started to say, but stopped when he caught sight of himself in a mirror. He preened before going on._

"_This is the day your dreams come true," he finished, stepping closer only for her to relocate. Victoria scoffed at his cocky attitude._

"_What do you know of my dreams?" she inquired, standing behind the table so that it kept them separated._

"_Plenty! Look, picture this," he replied, falling into the seat she had been in then propping his feet on the dinner table. His muddy boots landed on her book and she grimaced at the filth on the table as well as her book._

"_A rustic hunting lodge, my latest kill roasting on the fire, and my wife massaging my feet while the little ones play on the floor with the dogs," he envisioned, kicking off his boots to reveal holey socks and feet that smelled horrible. It was so bad she was almost too distracted to react properly to what he said next._

"_We'll have six or seven," he continued, ignorant of her disgust and hand covering her nose. He got up to lean closer._

"_Dogs?" she guessed hesitantly, dropping her hand._

"_No, strapping boys like me," he corrected her, puffing out his chest as always. Victoria quickly collected her book before it could get anymore ruined by him and held it to her chest as she walked away._

"_Imagine that," she mumbled._

"_And do you know who that wife would be?" he questioned, following her._

"_Let me think," she replied while shelving the book._

"_You, Victoria," he stated, his arms trying to box her in. She ducked under them and pushed a chair between them._

"_Ryder, I'm…speechless," she struggled to reply. Just thinking of such a life with him sounded in no way pleasant. She had to get him out, and fast, because he didn't look like he was giving up any time soon. She pressed her back to the door and waited for him to advance._

"_I really don't know what to say," she went on. He chuckled and barred her in again with his arms on either side of her head._

"_Say you'll marry me," he responded, getting too close._

"_I'm very sorry but, I just don't deserve you," she told him, searching blindly for the door knob then turning it so that the door swung open, she stepped back, and he tumbled out. He fell down the stairs and rolled over the grass to land in a mud puddle. Victoria just waved and then tossed his boots outside before closing the door. She waited a while before opening the door again to make sure he was gone. She couldn't see him anywhere so she was able to step out and go about feeding the animals. She couldn't believe he asked her to marry him. That boorish, brainless man. She'd drop dead before ever accepting that offer. Once she was done feeding the animals she went out into the field behind her home to think and dream and hope, just staring up at the sky and wanting more than what she had now. She wanted adventure and she wanted it more than anything, more than what anyone here had planned. She didn't know how long she was sitting out there but the sun was starting to set. She was pulled from her musings by the sound of whinnying and clopping hooves. It alerted her to Sammy who was frantically running towards her._

"_Sammy!" she exclaimed, stopping the horse and petting him to calm him down. A heavy feeling settled in her stomach. Her father was nowhere to be seen. Where was he?_

"_What are you doing here? Where's Papa? Where is he Sammy? What happened?" she wondered, somewhat to the horse but mostly to herself. She quickly ran around to unhitch him from the machine he was still pulling._

"_We have to find him. You have to take me to him," she said, already ready and willing to strike out on her own to find her father. She may not be prepared for whatever was out there but she was afraid to think of what could have happened to him. He was all she had left. So, she threw on her traveling cloak and jumped on Sammy. The horse seemed to understand what she needed because he took her through a dark forest and up to a giant gate. Beyond it was an impressive castle. She stared up at it, uncertain._

"_What is this place?" she whispered. She had never seen it or heard of it being here. Sammy whinnied and paced but she got off to calm him. He obviously didn't like being here. She turned to look at the castle again when she noticed a familiar hat on the ground inside. She gasped and entered the gate to pick it up._

"_Papa," she mumbled, looking up at the structure again. So he **was** here. She couldn't leave without him. She would have to go inside to look for him. She pulled Sammy inside with some difficulty and then shut the gate behind him. He was safer inside than out. She thought she heard wolves on the way here. She then ascended the steps up to the door. She pushed it open and looked inside. It was dark and empty._

"_Hello? Is anyone here? Hello? Papa?" she called out, her voice echoing as she walked down the front entrance and climbed the main stairs. It led up and to the right, taking her down a long corridor. She called for her father while she walked. She kept walking until a door creaked behind her. She turned around to see the door she had just passed was now open. She stepped in, hoping whoever opened it could help her, but she didn't see anyone. A soft glow brought her attention to the winding staircase. She got to the top and looked around in confusion._

"_I was sure someone was here," she mumbled to herself, only seeing an empty room and a lone candlestick sitting in an indentation of the wall behind her. She called for anyone and was surprised to hear her father answer in return. She ran over, grabbing a nearby torch so that she could see, and then fell to her knees at the door she had heard his voice come from._

"_How did you find me?" he asked, reaching through the opening lined with bars at the bottom of the wooden door. Victoria clasped his hand and his other one rested over hers._

"_Your hands are like ice. We have to get you out of here," she told him, already searching for a way to release him. He coughed harshly but called to her._

"_I want you to leave this place," he warned her._

"_Who's done this to you?" she questioned._

"_No time to explain. You must go, now," he cautioned._

"_I won't leave you," she stated, growing more worried._

"_What are you doing here?" a gruff yet vaguely feminine voice demanded. A strong grip yanked at her cloak and pulled._

"_Run Victoria!" her father yelled._

* * *

Jade felt Elise shift around with excitement.

"Now it's going to get good," she mentioned. Jade nodded her agreement. Tori smiled at the way Elise shared a fascination for the supernatural and fantasy like Jade yet liked romance like Tori. Annabelle was rough and tumble, preferring action and adventure with little to no romance which she believed to be horrible. Jade took a breath and then began again.

* * *

_Victoria lost her hold on the torch when she was yanked back and it fell in a puddle of water, instantly putting it out. Now nothing but a lone shaft of light lit the area. The rest was dark with shadow._

"_Who's there? Who are you?" Victoria questioned whoever had arrived. She stayed seated with her back to her father. She couldn't see who it was but she could hear movement, like the swish of a cloak and heavy steps on the stone floor._

"_The Mistress of this castle," the rough voice answered. The cloak's swish was now on her right. Despite her fear and worry she forced herself to speak._

"_I came for my father. Please, let him out. Can't you see he's sick," she tried to say._

"_Then he shouldn't have poked around where he wasn't welcomed," the voice growled._

"_But he could die. Please, I'll do anything," Victoria begged._

"_There's nothing you can do. He's my prisoner," the voice replied, the cloak now fluttering to her left._

"_There must be some way I can…wait!" she said, scrambling for a way to solve the problem. She flung out a hand and the abrupt stop of all movement ahead of her followed._

"_Take me instead," she bargained._

"**_You_**_? You would…take his place?" the voice wondered. The quality had smoothed out a little and it gave Victoria hope._

"_No, you don't know what you're doing!" her father shouted at her. She ignored him._

"_If I did, would you let him go?" she checked._

"_Yes, but, you must promise to stay here forever," the voice negotiated with her, hardening a little once more. She thought about it, hesitating. She tried searching the dark for the owner of the voice. Her eyes squinted but she couldn't see anything beyond the shaft of light. If she was going to make a decision she had to first see who this person was._

"_Come into the light," she requested. There was a moment when nothing happened, and then, a clawed foot slid into the light followed by a beast. It was a five foot ten inch tall creature with a strong yet slender frame, light gray in color except for some white along the nose, ears, and jaw. The face and ears were almost wolf-like but with a nose closer to a human's nose instead of a muzzle. Black brows matched the thick locks of black hair. Horns curved out of the hair and two teeth on either side of the bottom row of teeth stuck out slightly. The hands were clawed and it stood on large feet that looked like a wolf's hind legs, claws and all. A bushy tail hung behind it. The clothes it wore was nothing more than tattered tops and bottoms, a cloak draped over the shoulders. The light filtering in highlighted a sharp blue-green gaze that focused directly on Victoria. She gasped and covered her mouth then looked away and closed her eyes. Her father laid a hand on her shoulder._

"_I won't let you do this!" he disagreed with a shake of his head. She could see the fear in his eyes and knew she shouldn't agree to the deal, but she couldn't bear to leave her father trapped like this when there was something she could do. She pulled away from him, stood, and then walked over to stand in front of the beast. She took a breath and then let it out._

"_You have my word," she muttered, her voice unsteady._

"_Fine," the creature growled, storming past her. She covered her face and fell to the floor._

"_No, Victoria, listen to me. I'm old, I've lived my life," her father pleaded, crouching down next to her as soon as he was free. She barely got any time to hold his hand in hers when the beast swept past, dragging him along effortlessly._

"_Wait!" she called, needing to say good-bye, but her father was already taken away. Her plea was ignored. She was only able to push herself to her feet and run to the nearest window to see her father being thrown into an animated carriage that walked him off the premises. How that was possible, she wasn't sure. She just leaned on the window and let her tears fall. A quiet argument echoed to her from behind followed by a loud growl but she couldn't hear clearly. She didn't care to listen anyway. Then, heavy footsteps alerted her to the beast's return._

"_I'll never see him again and you didn't let me say good-bye," she mourned, crying into her hands. There was silence for a moment while the beast wondered at the strange feeling of guilt. The past mistakes were rife with a lack of concern or care, but there was a reason this deal had been made. Perhaps the many forms of advice were right? Now was the chance to try and break the spell. If things were to change then there had to be mercy, no matter how much the beast wasn't used to being nice._

"_I'll show you to your room," the beast grumbled, keeping an annoyed expression so that the brief lapse wasn't detected._

"_My room? But I thought…" Victoria whimpered, looking up at her captor._

"_You wanna stay in the tower?" the beast questioned with claws raised palm up._

"_No," Victoria said with a shake of her head._

"_Then follow me," the beast replied, turning away to leave. At the top of the stairs the candlestick was picked up before heading down. Victoria rushed to keep up. She wasn't blind to the small change of heart but she wasn't going to question it anymore. She resolved to take what she could get and try not to anger the Mistress of the castle. Once they had left the tower and descended back into the castle halls they traveled through the corridor silently. Victoria walked with her head bowed and eyes closed. Eventually she opened her eyes to take in her surroundings. The statues and architecture alone was a bit unnerving. There were beasts and dragons and snakes and creatures of all kinds climbing over everything, forever frozen in terrifying grimaces, scowls, and roars. She gasped and ran to keep up, barely managing to slow down behind the very real beast leading her. She felt even worse than before, a tear sliding down her cheek. The beast glanced back at her and then frowned, uncomfortable. The candlestick in hand came to life with a reprimanding expression._

"_Jade," it whispered._

"_It's Mistress to you, Beck," she replied but didn't put as much demand as usual. The girl, Victoria, was already a distraction. The candlestick rolled his eyes but continued._

"_Say something to her, **Mistress**," he emphasized. Jade sighed but knew he was far more advanced when it came to being sociable so she listened._

"_I, uh, hope you like it here…" she began, feeling unsure. She glanced at Beck who gestured for her to say more._

"_The castle is your home now so you can go anywhere you want, except the West Wing," she told the morose girl. Victoria's curiosity rose._

"_What's in the West-" she started to say but Jade spun around to glare at her. Victoria took a few steps back in fear._

"_It's forbidden," she declared, waiting a moment before starting to walk again. It wasn't long before they came to an empty guest room. Jade pulled open the door enough for Victoria to enter and turned to her._

"_If you need anything my servants will attend you," she mentioned. Beck leaned over to whisper in her ear._

"_Invite her to dinner," he advised._

"_You will join me for dinner. That's not a request," she ordered, slamming the door shut now that Victoria had entered the room. She turned away, ignoring Beck's disapproving look while Victoria ran to the big bed and threw herself on it. She let herself cry now that she was alone. It all felt so hopeless. By the time her tears were almost spent there was a clinking knock on the door. She raised her head from the bed and looked over at the door._

"_Who is it?" she inquired._

"_Cat, silly," the cheerful but muffled voice beyond the door answered. Victoria stood to open the door. As soon as she did, clinking from below reached her ears. She looked down to see a teapot and tea cup along with a milk and sugar container enter the room. She gasped in amazement._

"_I thought you might like a nice cup of tea," the teapot said._

"_You're a-you're a-" Victoria stammered, backing up only to bump into the wardrobe behind her._

"_Careful," it said. That had her backing toward the bed to sit down._

"_This is impossible," she mumbled, holding her head in her hands._

"_I know it is, but, here we are," the wardrobe, Trina, replied. She fell over to lean next to Victoria who was jostled on the bed from the sudden weight._

"_See, I told you she was pretty," the tea cup spoke up._

"_Ok Robbie, we heard that like five times already," Cat told him, tilting to pour tea into him. The milk and sugar containers hopped over to add their contents. Robbie then made his way over to Victoria._

"_Slowly. Don't spill," Cat cautioned. Victoria moved to sit on the floor then picked him up._

"_Thank you," she said, grateful for someone friendly. She was just about to take a sip from the tea cup when he spoke up._

"_Wanna see a trick?" he offered. He didn't wait for an answer and began blowing tea bubbles until Cat scolded him and he stopped. He smiled sheepishly and apologized._

"_What you did was really brave," Cat mentioned._

_"We all think so," Trina added in agreement._

"_But I lost my father, my dreams, everything," Victoria replied._

"_Cheer up Tori. It'll be alright. You'll see," Cat pacified._

"_Tori?" she questioned._

"_Yeah, is that ok? Can I call you that?" the teapot asked. Tori nodded and managed a smile._

"_Oh, look at me. I'm babbling when I have a supper to start. Come on Robbie," Cat said, turning away to hop towards the door. Robbie hopped off Tori's hand and followed the others out, yelling a farewell as he went._

"_Well now, what should we dress you in for dinner?" Trina wondered. She opened her drawers and moths flew out. She quickly shut them, looking embarrassed, before opening them again._

"_Here we are. You'll look ravishing in this one," she said._

"_That's nice of you but I'm not going to dinner," Tori told her. She was going to be as stubborn as she could and hold off as long as she could because she didn't want to be anywhere near the beast again._

_But you have to!" Trina said with a gasp. At that moment a clock scuttled into the room, clearing his throat._

"_Dinner is served," he informed them with a bow and a smile._

"_I'm not going," Tori repeated._

"_What? But you have to!" the clock exclaimed._

"_Haven't I already done this?" Tori wondered._

"_You'll just have to tell the Mistress then," Trina said, if a little hesitantly._

"_But I can't-she'll be-aw man…" he mumbled, pacing and then resigning to his fate. He slouched out the door, hoping Jade wouldn't crush him for the news. While he made his way back Jade was pacing on all fours; back and forth, back and forth. She was furious and demanding her servants an answer as to why Victoria hadn't shown up yet. The candlestick and teapot watched her pace from their perch above the fireplace and answered the best they could but their Mistress wasn't any calmer._

"_Mistress, have you thought that perhaps this girl could be the one to break the spell?" Beck asked. Jade growled._

"_Of course I have! I'm not stupid!" she snapped, displaying her sharp teeth, before going back to her pacing. It was the only thing that kept her from destroying things._

"_Good, so, you fall in love with her, she falls in love with you, and poof, the spell is broken! We'll be human again by midnight," Beck pointed out, unperturbed by Jade's rage. He illustrated what he said by building his flames then blowing them out. They flickered back on once he was finished._

"_It's not that easy Beck. These things take time," Cat told him, voice soft._

"_But the rose has already begun to wilt," he replied._

"_It's no use. She's so beautiful and I'm…well look at me!" Jade snarled, raising a clawed hand then turning to Beck and Cat. They exchanged a look with each other._

"_You have to help her see past that," Cat replied. Jade frowned and rolled her eyes._

"_I don't know how," she griped, turning away._

"_Well, you can start by making yourself more presentable," Cat recommended, hopping down and across the floor to then hop up on the table where she faced Jade who was caught off guard by her forceful tone._

"_Straighten up! Try to act like a gentlewoman," she reprimanded. Jade hastily sat up and then looked over to Beck who jumped down to add his suggestions._

"_Yeah, when she comes in give her a charming smile. Come on, show me the smile," he requested. Jade tried it out to the best of her ability but even that was hard. She was pretty sure she was just showing too many teeth to come off as charming._

"_But don't scare her," Cat reminded._

"_Impress her with your wit," Beck supplied._

"_But be gentle," Cat cautioned._

"_Shower her with compliments," Beck counseled._

"_But be sincere," Cat added._

"_And above all…" Beck began carefully while Jade stood there confused. It was too much information at once._

* * *

Jade was about to finish the line when Tori, Annabelle, and Elise chimed in.

"You must control your temper!" they said in perfect unison.

"You say that like you're telling **me**," Jade complained with crossed arms. Her pouting expression made Tori want to give her a big hug and a kiss. She was too cute.

"We are," Tori teased. The girls laughed and Jade shook her head.

"Anyway…" she started up once more with a roll of her eyes. They laughed again but fell quiet as soon as she started.

* * *

_The door handle suddenly shook and they all looked over at it, hopeful that Victoria would show up._

"_Here she is," Beck said with apprehension that Jade felt too. She waited with an attempt at a smile. The door opened and the clock peeked in._

"_Good evening," he sputtered, knowing an outraged Jade was seconds away._

"_Well, where is she Andre?" Jade growled, trying to hold back as long as she could._

"_Who? Oh! The girl! Yeah, she-uh, well, actually she's in the process of...uh, circumstances being what they are, um… she's not coming," he mumbled, unable to salvage the situation. There was a second of dead silence and then all hell broke loose._

"_What?!" Jade roared, barreling through the doors on all fours, bounding down the hall and running straight to Victoria's room. Andre tried to call her back but it was no use. She was on a rampage. She jumped the stairs in her haste and tore down another hall, stopping at the door to Victoria's room, then slammed her fist on the door multiple times. It shook under the force._

"_I thought I told you to come down to dinner!" she shouted._

"_I'm not hungry!" Tori shouted back. The fur at Jade's back bristled with her anger._

"_You'll come out or-or I'll break down the door!" she yelled, her clawed hands clenching._

"_Mistress? I could be wrong but that might not be the best way to go about this," Beck spoke up._

"_Please. Attempt to be a gentlewoman," Andre coached._

"_But she's being so **difficult**," Jade seethed._

"_Gently," Cat soothed. Jade glared at the door and exhaled heavily._

"_Will you come down to dinner," she grumbled._

"_No!" Tori refused. Jade straightened, affronted, and then jabbed a finger at the door while looking to her servants._

"_No, no, calmly," Andre reminded her._

"_It would make me very happy if you would join me for dinner," Jade gritted out slowly. Her tail flicked and her hackles rose once more. She gripped tightly at her cloak to keep herself from lashing out. Andre mumbled for her to add a 'please'. She rolled her eyes but did so, saying it under her breath._

"_No thank you!" Tori responded. Instantly Jade was furious again._

"_You can't stay in there forever!" she yelled._

"_Yes I can!" Tori disagreed._

"_Fine. Then starve!" Jade roared at the door. She looked to her servants with a wild gleam in her eyes. She was inconsolable at this point._

"_If she doesn't eat with me, she doesn't eat at all!" Jade informed them before taking off. She slammed a door down the hall so hard pieces of the ceiling rained down. Jade headed for her room, bursting in while she ranted to herself._

"_I ask her nicely and she refuses," she muttered, smacking a chair out of her way._

"_I mean, what does she want me to do? Beg?!" she yelled, pacing over to stand by the small table holding her enchanted rose. Next to it sat her enchanted mirror. She snatched it up._

"_Show me the girl," she ordered. The mirror arced with green light and then in a flash her horrid reflection turned into a view of Victoria in her room. One of her servants was trying to ease Victoria into accepting Jade but she was adamant in her opinion. She didn't want to get to know her or have anything to do with her. Jade cringed and pushed the mirror away._

"_I'm just lying to myself. She'll never see me as anything but a monster," she mumbled, setting down the mirror. The rose seemed to mock her when another petal fell, adding to the four that had already fallen. Time was running out._

"_It's hopeless," Jade sighed, covering her face with a clawed hand and leaning on the small table. With the day over and night fully upon the castle, Tori felt it was now safe to leave her room. She was sure the beast wouldn't be up and she was free to do a little exploring. She pushed open her door a crack and peeked out. When it was clear she walked out into the hall. She went through the door at the end of the hall and came out at the top of the main stairs. She took them slowly and then found her way into the kitchen with a little trial and error. She caught Cat saying something but the clock cut her off._

"_It's great to see you out and about," he told her, a giant fake smile in place on his clock face._

"_I'm Andre," he introduced, ready to shake hands when Tori crouched to do so but then Beck came hopping over to push his way between them._

"_This is Beck," he continued with an offended frown._

"_Hey," the candlestick greeted in a low voice, bowing then taking her hand to kiss it. Andre pushed him over with a roll of his eyes. He had a feeling he had been distracted from guard duty by the feather duster, Alyssa. They'd been together on and off so long it wasn't a surprise anymore._

"_Anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable?" Andre asked her, shoving Beck back but getting burned in the process. He cried out and gripped at the metal adornment he used as an arm. It was red with heat but it cooled in a second._

"_I'm a little hungry," Tori admitted._

"_You are? Ooh, stoke the fire, break out the silver, and wake the china," Cat said, perking up. Andre was uneasy._

"_Remember what Jade said," he cautioned._

"_Don't be silly. I'm not going to let her go hungry," Cat dismissed._

"_Alright, fine. But bare minimum so that Jade doesn't find out," he gave in, too afraid of the consequences. Beck balked at that._

"_Andre, I'm surprised at you. She's not a prisoner. She's our guest. We should make her feel welcome here," he corrected with a push at the clock. It was hard to make anyone feel welcome with a mistress like Jade but it never seemed to deter Beck from trying._

"_Right this way," he continued, hopping away to show her to the dining room. Andre hunched over and looked around as if Jade would suddenly appear._

"_Keep it down. If Jade finds out about this it'll be our necks," he warned his fellow servant._

"_Of course," Beck said with a wave of his fire lit appendage. He then disappeared through the door Tori already went through. It swung back to smack Andre, sending him sliding across the floor. He hastily got back to his feet and then scrambled out the door to make sure Beck wasn't causing too much trouble. By the time he got there he and Cat were parading food across the table for Tori to try one at a time. All the while they held a conversation that they did nothing to keep quiet. Tori politely listened. Andre climbed up on the table to try and silence them._

"_Ok, ok, everyone settle down," he said, his attempt foiled when he was just brushed aside. He stood as patiently as he could until they had their fun then stepped back in._

"_That was awesome," Tori told them._

"_Yeah, it was. Oh, but look at the time. It's getting late," Andre mentioned, pointing to his own face which indeed showed that it was getting late._

"_I can't go to bed now. It's my first time in an enchanted castle," Tori responded, interested in seeing more._

"_Enchanted? Who said anything about it being enchanted?" Andre said with a shrug while trying to act casual. A fork skittered by and then Andre turned on Beck._

"_It was you wasn't it?" he accused, shoving him. Beck pushed back and then they were locked in a tussle which Tori broke up with an amused chuckle._

"_I figured it out for myself," she told them, leaning on the table. They stopped fighting to glance at her._

"_Can I take a look around?" she asked as she stood up._

"_Oh, would you like a tour?" Beck offered with a bow. Andre went wide eyed and shook his head to the best of his ability._

"_Wait a second. I'm not sure that's such a good idea. We can't let her go poking around in certain places if you know what I mean," he murmured to Beck who looked unconcerned. Tori moved to lean on the table._

"_Maybe you'd like to take me? You probably know everything about the castle," she directed at Andre. She was too invested in exploring to let the opportunity pass. Andre chuckled, flattered._

"_Well, uh, actually, yeah, I do," he agreed. Beck smiled next to him, knowing he was sold. They began the tour with Andre educating their guest on all factoids that weren't exactly necessary to know. Tori followed along half listening. Her mind was elsewhere. While he talked and talked and talked she slowly lost focus, regaining it when she was reminded of that forbidden part of the castle. With Andre stopping to reprimand some suits of armor she wandered off, but Beck and Andre caught up with her just in time to block her three stairs up the main staircase._

"_What's up there?" she asked, pointing to the left corridor at the top._

"_Where? There? Oh, nothing. Absolutely nothing of interest at all in the West Wing. Disgusting, dull, very boring," Andre responded, anxiety clear to Tori whose suspicions were now confirmed. Beck nodded along with Andre after a not so subtle jab._

"_So that's the West Wing," Tori replied, looking up in the general direction again. Andre couldn't say anything and Beck was glaring at him for the slip up._

"_Nice going," he muttered._

"_I wonder what she's hiding up there," Tori pondered, leaning in an effort to see more._

"_Hiding? The mistress is hiding nothing," Beck denied._

"_Then it wouldn't be forbidden," Tori concluded, stepping past them. They hastily jumped in front of her again._

"_Uh, um, would you like to, um, uh, see something else? We have tapestries dating back to-" Andre tried to say in hopes of sidetracking her but she just stepped past them again._

"_Maybe later," she dismissed. They rushed to stop her again._

"_Uh, the gardens, or, the library," Beck spat out._

"_You have a library?" Tori responded excitedly. Andre and Beck ran with it, emphasizing just how many book they had as they hopped down the stairs. Tori followed at a slow pace. Once they had wandered off with their over dramatics keeping them from noticing that she had stopped, she backtracked up the stairs. She was just too curious for her own good. She turned the corner into a corridor that was dark and menacing. The statues glared at her from all angles. Pictures and mirrors were broken and in pieces. She came to huge double doors with a face of a monster in the center, the horns atop its head being the handles. She reached for them but pulled back, wondering if she should continue. Her second thought didn't slow her down long and she decided to go ahead and take a quick look. So, she yanked one door open and stepped into a large room littered with broken furniture. As she moved further in she noticed that nothing was intact. She bumped into a small wooden table and quickly caught it then propped it back up before moving on. She stopped at a broken down king sized bed at the end of the room._

_She turned away to leave, seeing nothing else of interest, when her eyes landed on a painted portrait hanging on the wall. It was heavily torn with what looked like claw marks so that the only thing showing was a pair of blue-green eyes and long black hair over slender but strong shoulders. She reached out to carefully try and piece it back together but she still couldn't see much. The soft pink glow to her left stole her attention. She turned to see a beautifully glowing rose floating inside a glass cover set on a small round table by a balcony. She slowly walked over, her eyes on the flower. It sparkled and drew her in. Without thinking she placed her hands on the glass and lifted it so that she could get a better look. Like her hand had a life of its own it moved to touch the intriguing plant. She froze and pulled back when a shadow loomed over her. She gasped when she saw that it was the beast. Jade launched herself forward so that she blocked Tori from the rose. She picked up the glass cover and swiftly set it back in place. She looked to Tori with a growl._

"_Why did you come here?" she demanded, turning fully towards the frightened girl to tower over her._

"_I-I'm sorry…" she choked out, backing away._

"_I warned you never to come here," Jade continued, her anger raising her voice. She stepped forward and Tori hastily stepped back._

"_I didn't mean any harm," she responded._

"_Do you realize what you could have done?!" Jade snarled, letting her rage out on a nearby chair. It broke to pieces under the blow. Tori backed herself against a broken wardrobe as Jade advanced on her._

"_Get out!" she roared, narrowly missing Tori when she swung again, demolishing the furniture. Tori ran from the room in utter fear, her only thought being to get far away from the castle. It was too late when Jade realized her mistake. She let her rage get the best of her again. She slumped over and covered her face, disappointed in herself. Tori was quick to grab her cloak and bolt for the door. Not even the animated objects could slow her down. They tried to get her to stay but she refused. She yanked open the front door, letting in a gust of wind and snow. It was freezing but she ran out anyway. She easily found Sammy, climbed on, and took off into the woods, his hooves kicking up snow. She didn't get far when the horse skid to a stop. Wolves had found them._

* * *

Tori cleared her throat and Jade glanced over at her. The girls had become deeply interested in what was happening so that they groaned when their mom interrupted.

"Yes?" Jade inquired, waiting for what she knew to be Tori's input on how the story should go. That is, what could and couldn't be included.

"It's not going to get gory is it?" Tori directed at her wife.

"This is a kid's story for crying out loud, Tor," Jade responded.

"That doesn't seem to stop you sometimes. I'm just making sure," Tori replied.

"Well it won't. Maybe an injury but that's it. I promise," Jade responded. That was good enough so she gestured for Jade to carry on.

* * *

_Jade only took a moment to herself before grabbing for the enchanted mirror. She asked to see Victoria and it showed her riding deep into the woods, the sound of wolves howling in the distance. She growled low, conflicted. The girl hated her, but she couldn't just let her die. She set the mirror down and then ran out the door. On all fours she barged out into the snowy winds, determined to get to her on time. While Jade traveled Tori tried to escape, Sammy running as fast as he could, but the pack was closing in. One jumped at her and the horse whinnied before smashing the wild canine between his big body and a tree. It yelped and fell into the snow. The rest were still closing in. Suddenly, the ground broke under them and they fell into a frozen lake. Sammy fought his way out while Tori held on for dear life. Some wolves didn't make it but the few that did continued the chase, eventually catching up to cut them off. Sammy bucked her off in fright and she hit the snowy ground. She was dazed at first but shook it off in time to see the wolves approaching. Some barked and snarled at Sammy but stayed back when one was kicked away and another was beaten down by Tori who wielded a branch._

_The big pack began closing in on her and Sammy. She swung wildly to keep them away but one lunged to snap the branch in half. Another jumped at her, snagging her by her cloak and bring her to the ground. She was now defenseless. Just as another was seconds from tearing into her, it was suddenly snatched into the air by a powerful light gray claw. Jade had made it to Tori right on time. She let out a mighty roar at the wolf in her grasp then tossed it aside. She fell forward on all fours to shield Tori and growled at the remaining wolves. Jade assessed the numbers and knew she would either come out the winner with injuries or die trying. She supposed she would die trying, so, she launched herself forward. Instantly, the wolves attacked. Teeth clamped on her back, sides, arms, and legs. She smacked them away constantly but they just kept coming, tearing at her already ragged clothes. She roared in pain and fury, tossing them off her until they had enough and ran away with their tails between their legs. She huffed out a tired breath that was visible in the biting cold air._

_She met Tori's eyes, saw that she was ok, and then let herself collapse into the snow with a groan. Tori watched the beast fall and prepared to make a run for it, but stopped. Yes, she could just go home now, but what about her savior? She had been protected by the very beast she was afraid of, but she must not be all that bad if she saved her. This thought caused her to hesitate and look back at her fallen protector. She walked over and knelt down, reaching out but pulling back at the last minute. Instead, she draped her cloak over the beast who stirred enough to open her eyes. With a little encouragement and guidance, she managed to get Jade to rest on Sammy while she walked next to him. She then headed back towards the castle. It took some time but when they arrived Jade was coming around. She dragged herself into her favorite chair, relaxing into it, but became more aware when Tori showed up with a bowl of warm water and a rag to clean her up. The servants trailed in to spectate but not intervene. Jade grumbled and licked at her wounded arm. Tori looked up in time to see._

"_Don't do that," she advised, holding out a hand to stop her. Jade growled and pulled away. Tori remained calm while everyone else backed away. They were never fully sure just when Jade would explode but they made sure to be far from her in case she started lashing out. Tori wasn't backing down this time though._

"_Just, hold, still," she insisted, trying to press the rag to the wound while Jade evaded. She finally caught her and Jade roared in pain. The servants quickly ran to hide under a table._

"_That hurt!" she snarled._

"_If you hold still it wouldn't hurt as much!" Tori retorted._

"_Well if you hadn't run away, none of this would've happened," Jade counted._

"_If you hadn't frightened me then I wouldn't have run away!" Tori shouted in return. Jade faltered only a second before replying._

"_Well you shouldn't have been in the West Wing!" she stated, feeling like she had won the fight, but Tori wasn't done yet._

"_Well you should learn to control your temper," she shot back, wiping the smug smirk off Jade's face. The servants hesitantly reappeared and watched the situation unfold before them. Someone was actually standing up to Jade and was winning too. With nothing more to fight with, Jade scowled and propped her chin in her clawed hand, resting her elbow on the arm of the chair._

"_Now, hold still. This might sting a little," Tori cautioned, raising the rag again. Jade looked to her and then flinched when her wound was covered. Tori glanced at her but continued, making sure she was gentle._

"_By the way, thank you for saving my life," she mumbled. Jade's annoyed rumbling growl tapered off. She looked to Tori with something like surprise._

"_You're welcome," she muttered, uncertain but sincere. Tori just nodded and tended to her wound. There was no need for a conversation, and for once, there was comfortable silence. The next few days found Jade trying her best to better accommodate Tori. She wore better quality clothes and made sure to control her temper. She wanted Tori to feel comfortable. She wanted her to feel like the castle was her home, not her prison. The first step Jade took was to allow Tori to wander the grounds, so today, she watched from a balcony as Tori walked Sammy around. Her smile was persistent and Jade realized she liked seeing it. Their dog Rex, turned into a footstool, came leaping over to jump into a pile of snow then jump into Tori's arms for a cuddle. She laughed and a warm feeling settled in Jade's chest. She averted her eyes and they landed on her bandaged arm. She placed her clawed hand over it and knew she had to do more to thank Tori for sticking around and putting up with her. She was still learning but she was making some progress._

"_I've never felt this way before," she mumbled in realization. Andre looked at her._

"_I wanna do something for her," Jade decided. She was all geared towards that idea but there was a problem._

"_But what?" she wondered, conflicted._

"_Well, there's the usual things; flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep," Andre listed. Beck hopped over with a shake of his head._

"_No, it has to be something special. Something that sparks her interest…wait a minute! The library!" he stated._

"_The library?" Jade repeated with a quirked brow._

"_Yes, that's right! She loves books!" Andre agreed. They both nodded and an idea came to Jade. She turned away to collect Tori. She found her relatively in the same place she had seen her from the balcony. She invited her inside and Tori accepted. She led her down a bright hall Tori hadn't been down yet and stopped her at the closed doors._

"_Victoria, there's something I wanna show you," she began, opening the door but shutting it again when another idea came to her._

"_But first, you have to close your eyes," she said, holding a clawed hand against the door but looking back at Tori who was looking back at her with curiously raised brow._

"_It's a surprise," Jade told her. She did as she was told and Jade made sure she wasn't peeking by waving her clawed hand in front of her face. She then opened the doors before gently taking Tori's small hands in hers so that she could lead her inside._

"_Can I open them?" Tori asked._

"_No, not yet," Jade declined. She liked how Tori was allowing this, how she trusted her. She felt strange at the excitement bubbling within her, but if it was Tori causing it, she couldn't complain._

"_Wait here," Jade said, stopping her in the middle of the room before preparing it, throwing aside curtains and letting the sun in._

"_Now can I open them?" Tori asked once more._

"_Ok, now," Jade allowed. Tori opened her eyes and then gasped at the grand room she was standing in. It was breathtaking._

"_I can't believe it. I've never seen so many books in my life," she breathed out in awe._

"_You-you like it?" Jade inquired with a mix of relief and happiness._

"_It's wonderful," Tori replied._

"_Then it's yours," Jade decided. She couldn't help it. Seeing Tori so happy all because of something she did made her feel the need to do anything to keep it that way._

"_Thank you so much," Tori said softly, taking Jade by the hands. She held Tori's in her clawed hands as if they were delicate flowers, like her rose. Later that day they sat together for supper as they had taken to doing. Jade dressed up and so did Tori. Cat and Robbie served them along with a few others. Tori took one bite but stopped when Jade practically inhaled her food without the use of any utensils. Tori raised a brow but kept eating. Cat and Robbie cringed at her behavior but then Robbie tapped at Jade's unused spoon. She wiped at her mouth with her sleeve but picked up the spoon. She might as well try to make an effort in all her mannerisms. Tori watched and Robbie chuckled when Jade still didn't quite get the hang of etiquette. Tori suggested an easier method and Jade happily agreed. When they were finished and cleaned up they headed outside for some time together. Jade was unsure of everything she did._

_Although she wanted to be more forward, she wasn't sure how to start. What should she say? What should she do? She just didn't know so she quietly followed Tori wherever she went, content to study her. She had brought seeds along with her to feed the birds. She offered some to Jade who was taken aback at first but accepted them. She crouched to offer it to the birds but her quick movements scared them away. Jade was patient even though she pouted. Tori, finding the expression endearing, helped her after two failed attempts. Jade had been mean, coarse, and unrefined. But now she was so quiet and so unsure. Tori wondered why she hadn't seen that side of her before. She would go as far as to say Jade had a sweet and almost kind way of doing things when it came to her. Jade smiled when Tori got the birds to eat directly out of her clawed hands. She glanced at her and was struck by the way Tori looked back at her._

_Tori rested her hand on Jade's arm a moment longer before standing to walk away. She thought she saw…it couldn't be. She ignored the feeling but then met Tori's eyes again. All she could think was that Tori had never looked at her that way before. For both of them it was new and a little alarming. Neither thought that this could happen, but it was. Tori stood leaning against a tree and laughed under her breath at the birds all swarming around Jade. She was no princess but there was definitely something more to her than Tori had seen before. With the way they grew comfortable with each other she knew she could peg her with a snowball without getting Jade mad so she tossed one. The birds scattered and it hit Jade right in the face. She shook it off as well as the shock then smirked deviously as she gathered a huge snowball, intent on getting back at her. She was just about to chuck it when she was hit again._

_She dropped the giant snow boulder on her head and fell over, confused how that had happened. Tori laughed and Jade scrambled to her feet to catch her. Tori evaded twice then threw another snowball. Jade reluctantly gave up the chase and they headed back inside to dry off and warm up. Jade helpfully removed Tori's winter cloak to put it away and then sat down next to her in front of the fire with a book she had picked out. She wasn't much of a fan of books, but Tori seemed to open her up to a lot of different things. Her favorite past time with Tori had to be listening to her read though. While her servants brightened the castle, something Jade noticed but didn't mind, she kept her focus on Tori. Today was another day they spent in the library where they sat at a table, Tori with a book and Jade slumped over on the table, listening to her soothing and melodic voice. She read the last words in the current book she held. The story itself was so-so but Jade sat up with a smile, loving Tori's voice._

"_Could you read it again?" she asked. Tori chuckled and handed her the book._

"_Here, how about you read it to me?" she suggested. Jade was hesitant at first, but she couldn't say no._

"_Uh, alright," she accepted. She would always be at a disadvantage when it came to Tori so she opened the book and nervously began at page one. They were only interrupted a while later when they had to get ready for their night together. Jade knew her servants had been planning something for days but didn't question them. She trusted that whatever it was would help her get closer to Tori so she allowed them to be parted. She was thrust into a bath where her fur stuck to her and she grumbled through the wash, knowing there would be a follow-up trim. She hated the grooming process as much as any common animal._

"_Tonight is the night," Beck announced as he hopped over to jump on a stool next to the tub Jade sat in._

"_I don't think I can do this," she confessed._

"_There's no time to be scared. You have to be bold and daring," he admonished. Jade repeated the words, trying to draw strength from them. She stood and shook off the water. Beck ran to avoid getting wet but was caught in a wave, the fires on his head and arms going out. Jade's fur was now sticking up all over as she walked past Beck to dry off properly._

"_There will be music, romantic candlelight, provided by myself, and when the moment is right you confess your love," Beck said, relighting his flames then hopping over to a chair where a servant coat rack dried Jade off._

"_Yes, I can...n-no, I can't," she began strong but falling weak._

"_You care for the girl, right?" Beck asked. Jade grimaced at the man handling servant but managed to answer._

"_More than anything," she responded, meaning it._

"_Well then, you have to tell her," Beck said. The servant began clipping and styling until there was too many curls and bows for Jade's taste._

"_You look so…so…" Beck tried to compliment but fell short._

"_Stupid," she finished for him._

"_That wasn't really the word I was looking for," he replied. Jade rolled her eyes and removed the bows then ran her clawed fingers through the curls until they were gone. The coat rack stylist seemed offended but began again. This time it was up to Jade's standards. When she was getting dressed Andre came in._

"_Your lady awaits," he informed her. Jade smiled, looking forward to seeing Tori. She walked out of the room in her father's old suit and pants, clothes she had been wearing for some time now. Her father's clothes were the only thing that fit her. Her hair was tied back at the bottom with a simple tie. She stepped out of the door to descend down the stairs but stopped when she saw Tori. She was breathtakingly beautiful in the ballroom dress provided for her. Her soft brown tresses were styled just right. Jade froze in place but Beck got her going again. She cleared her throat and fixed her posture then began walking again. She met Tori at the next landing with a smile that Tori returned and they bowed. She offered her arm, which Tori took. Jade led her further down into the dining room. Her nerves were killing her but it was the good kind of pain. Music played softly in the background. They sat down to eat, something Jade now participated in without making a mess of herself and the table. They weren't even finished when Tori, excited to start dancing, stood to pull Jade from her chair._

_She stared at Tori with anxious wide eyes but Tori just smiled warmly for encouragement. They entered the ballroom, both a little scared and neither one ready, but Tori took the lead. She had one of Jade's clawed hands take her own then positioned the other at her waits. Jade gulped at the close proximity and her hand resting against Tori's body. Tori set her hand on Jade's arm and their eyes met. Fluidly, they took the first of many steps in their dance. As they continued to dance Jade became more confident, marveling at the feelings coursing through her, how she came to be here, and how much she cared for Tori. Tori herself was having fun, enjoying her time with the supposed beast. She wasn't anything like how she was in the past. She had changed. She smiled happily and rested her head on Jade who perked up. Andre and Beck silently congratulated her from afar. The music began to wind down so Beck gestured for the candlelight to dim. The music faded out and Jade took Tori out to the wide balcony. The night sky was lit up with a scatter of stars. A shooting star flew past as they stopped to sit down next to each other. Jade searched for something to say, nervous again but eventually gaining the courage to scoot closer._

"_Tori," she began quietly, taking her hands to hold softly._

"_Are you happy here with me?" she asked hopefully._

"_Yes," Tori responded. Jade felt her tense frame relax but it was short lived when she noticed Tori's gaze stray. She looked preoccupied._

"_What is it?" she wondered. Tori had told the truth but there was that small part of her that would always yearn to know. She had to be truthful._

"_I want to see my father again. Just for a moment. I miss him," she remarked. Jade didn't want Tori to go, but her staying for so long proved that she had kept her end of the bargain. Plus, Jade owed it to the kind and caring girl. She trusted her. She loved her. And if that was the case then she would allow Tori her wish._

"_There is a way," she mentioned, catching Tori's attention. Her soft smile made Jade smile as she stood to take Tori to her room. They entered her now cleaned up quarters where Jade showed Tori her enchanted mirror._

"_This mirror will show you anything you want to see," she told her, handing Tori the mirror. She held it in her hands and stared at her reflection._

"_I'd like to see my father please," she requested. The mirror sparked with green light and then shared with her the image of her father struggling through the woods out in the cold. He coughed, and the harsh sound told her he wasn't doing well._

"_Papa. Oh no, he's sick. He may be dying and he's all alone," she stated, worry creasing her brows and a frown twisting her lips. Jade looked away and leaned on the table holding the rose. She hunched over it, trying to make a decision. How important was Tori to her? Very important. Was her happiness more important than her own? Yes, without a doubt. If Tori was worried and wanted to go to her father, then she would let her. She loved her too much to deny her that. Jade ran a clawed hand over the glass cover, her eyes on the wilting flower within. She didn't have much time left, but she would risk it for Tori._

"_Then…y-you should go to him," Jade told her, pained to say such words but needing to say them. It was her ultimate sacrifice for love._

* * *

Elise made a sound of admiration and Jade glanced at her.

"Aww," Tori spoke up. Jade rolled her eyes and Annabelle shook her head.

"Yeah, yeah," Jade grumbled. She returned to the story at hand with a small smile she couldn't quite push away. Tori may be a sap but it was cute and she knew when she allowed it it made Tori happy so she didn't mind as much.

* * *

_Tori was caught off guard. She thought that maybe she couldn't have possibly heard what Jade said._

"_What did you say?" Tori asked, trying to make sure._

"_I'm letting you go. You're not my prisoner anymore," Jade responded._

"_You mean, I'm free?" Tori clarified, disbelieving._

"_Yes," Jade confirmed._

"_Thank you," Tori said, turning away to prepare to leave but stopped to return the mirror. Jade pushed it back to her with a shake of her head and sorrow in her eyes. She could feel her heart beginning to crack._

"_Take it with you, so you'll always have a way to look back and remember me," she said, taking the time to run her clawed hands carefully through Tori's brown locks. She missed her already._

"_Thank you for understanding how much he needs me," Tori whispered, her hand resting for a moment on Jade's cheek before she walked away. Jade watched her go. Tori passed Andre on the way out. He had an idiotic grin on his face._

"_Well, I have to say, everything is going great. I knew you had it in you," he said as he walked in. Jade kept her back to him and sagged further._

"_I let her go," she mumbled sadly._

"_That's good. Y-you what? How could you **do** that?" he stammered, uncomprehending. Jade shook her head and sighed._

"_I had to," she answered, her voice brittle._

"_Yes, but, but, but why?" Andre continued to stumble over his words._

"_Because…I love her," Jade admitted quietly. Andre was happy to hear that but devastated at the same time. He left Jade to her own devices, seeing that she was done talking. After all this time, she finally learned to love. She didn't think it would ever hurt this much, but it was worth it. It didn't make the pain any easier to bare though. She watched from her balcony as Tori rode off on Sammy. Jade roared as her heart broke, spurring the horse faster out of the gate and into the woods. Tori could hear a note of pain in the fierce sound but she had to keep going. Her father needed her. She searched and searched until she came upon her father collapsed in the snow where she had seen him in the mirror. She helped him onto Sammy then galloped in the direction of their home. She helped him inside and quickly rushed around getting him settled. An hour later he awoke, calling for her._

"_It's alright Papa. I'm home," she told him._

"_I thought I would never see you again," he replied, pulling her into a hug._

"_I missed you so much," she said with a smile, pulling away._

"_But the beast. How did you escape?" he questioned._

"_I didn't escape Papa. She let me go," Tori corrected him. He didn't look like he believed her._

"_That horrible beast?" he checked to make sure they were talking about the same one._

"_But she's different now. She's changed somehow," she replied. At that moment there was movement in her satchel. It fell over on the bed and Robbie tumbled out as well as the mirror. Both Tori and her father turned to him._

"_Hiya!" he greeted._

"_Oh a stowaway," Tori pointed out. Robbie hopped over to land in her father's hands. He greeted the teacup but Robbie turned to Tori._

"_Why did you leave? Don't you like us anymore?" he questioned._

"_Of course I do, it's just that-" she began to answer when there was a knock at the door. She set him aside and then got up to see who it was. She opened the door to see someone she didn't expect to see._

"_May I help you?" she asked, brows creasing._

"_I've come for your father," he answered._

"_My father?" she repeated._

"_Don't worry, we'll take good care of him," he responded, moving aside to show the carriage branded by the asylum. She gaped at it, shocked, but then defensive._

"_My father's not crazy!" she stated, stepping out of the doorway to see a mob waiting outside._

"_He was raving like a lunatic! We all heard him, didn't we?" Steven spoke up from the crowd. He carried a torch and his words spread distaste faster than a fire. They agreed with him._

"_No! I won't let you!" Tori denied. Her father came out at that moment._

"_David, tell us again old man. How big was the beast?" Steven taunted._

"_She was, I mean, she was enormous!" he stated, emphasizing the size by raising his arms._

"_Well, you don't get much crazier than that!" Steven said with a laugh that triggered the others to join in._

"_It's true I tell you!" David persisted, running down the stairs._

"_Get him out of here!" Steven demanded. Two burly men immediately grabbed her father by the arms to drag him away._

"_No! You can't do this!" Tori yelled. She tried to stop the man but he shrugged her off and kept walking. Ryder wandered over, a sad frown on his face._

"_Poor Victoria. It's a shame about your father," he mentioned, draping an arm over her shoulder._

"_You know he's not crazy Ryder," she pleaded, grabbing at his shirt._

"_Hmm, I might be able to clear up this little misunderstanding. If…" he began casually._

"_If what?" she inquired._

"_If you marry me," he finished._

"_What?" she gasped._

"_One little word. That's all it takes," he continued, pulling her closer._

"_Never," she refused, shoving him away._

"_Have it your way," he sneered, walking away. Her father called for her. She had to do something. She ran back inside for the mirror and then returned._

"_My father's not crazy and I can prove it! Show me the beast!" she ordered the mirror. It sparked and then flashed as Tori faced it towards the crowd. The beast roared, baring lethal sharp teeth that made the crowd gasp in fright._

"_Is it dangerous?" someone asked._

"_Oh no, she would never hurt anyone," Tori replied, running down the steps._

"_Please, I know she looks vicious but she's really kind and gentle. She's my friend," she continued to explain. She cradled the mirror and gazed into it, taking in the image it showed._

"_If I didn't know better I'd think you had **feelings** for this monster," Ryder seethed, gripping her by the shoulders._

"_She's not a monster Ryder, you are!" she retorted._

* * *

A chuckle from Elise put the story on hold. Her eyes were on Tori who had gotten into the story and was making faces subconsciously.

"Ooh! Burn!" she exclaimed. Their daughters laughed and Jade scowled disapprovingly.

"Vega," Jade scolded. Tori always had a habit of killing serious or even tense stand-offs with her quirky or dorky comebacks and comments. It was endearing and cute but Jade would never admit it. Tori knew she thought so though which was why to this day she still did it.

"Who are you talking to?" Tori asked Jade.

"You!" Jade responded, slightly irritated.

"I'm not a Vega," Tori told her. Jade made a sound of agitation.

"Fine, quiet down West-Vega…see, that doesn't roll off the tongue as easy," Jade commented. Tori laughed at the correction but remained silent as she was told so that Jade could pick back up where she had left off.

* * *

_Ryder scowled at Tori in disgust, baring blunt but straight teeth that made him look more sinister than the beast._

"_She's as crazy as the old man!" he exclaimed, snatching the mirror from her._

"_The beast will make off with your children! It'll come after them in the night!" Ryder warned. Tori tried to calm the now panicked crowd but no one was listening._

"_We're not safe until its head is mounted on my wall! I say we kill the beast!" he concluded, raising the mirror in his fist and working the crowd into a frenzy. They worried over what they were told and Ryder took advantage, appointing himself leader of a mob meant to find and kill the beast. Tori tried to stop him but he easily tossed her into her own cellar with her father. They locked them in soon after. She banged on the door but it stayed shut. She could hear them rallying and then marching off. She had to get free._

"_I have to warn her," Tori stated, trying out different ways to escape but nothing worked._

"_This is all my fault," she said, guilt thick in her voice. Her father walked over to comfort her._

"_What are we going to do?" Tori asked him, hoping he had a plan. She was desperate._

"_We'll think of something," he responded, hugging her. The mob was on their way to kill the beast as she was stuck there. She felt useless and the thought of losing someone she had grown close to scared her. Jade knew that feeling, but she had already lost Tori. She was gone, free, and never coming back. She stood at the window of her balcony in depressed silence. Her room was a torn apart mess once again._

"_Excuse me, but-" Cat started to say when she entered but Jade cut her off._

"_Leave me alone," she dismissed._

"_But the castle is under attack!" Cat tried again, frantic. Jade could hear the banging and shouts but she wasn't doing a thing about it._

"_What should we do mistress?" the worried teapot asked._

"_It doesn't matter now. Just let them come," Jade responded, resigning herself to her fate. Nothing mattered without Tori. Nothing held meaning. Unlike Jade, Tori was still trying except her efforts weren't working. It looked like they were never getting out until she heard a familiar sound. She and her father moved to peek through a crack in the cellar doors to see something charging towards them. Her father suddenly realized what it was and rushed to push Tori away from the impending danger. A moment later his machine crashed through the doors and exploded in a giant puff of smoke and parts. They leaned over the table they used as a shield to see Robbie hanging from a spring. He was delirious with amazement but otherwise ok. Tori hastily collected him, her father prepared for travel, and then they rushed to get to the castle_

_Tori hoped she wasn't too late. The mob must have already arrived by now. Little did she know that the mob was actually on its way out, having lost to the various enchanted objects that sent them running scared. Jade still sat in her room, downcast. She was so lost in her sorrow that she barely even reacted when Ryder finally found her. He leveled his arrow at her but she just grumbled and turned away. He let the arrow fly and it buried in her back. She growled in pain and leaped to her feet only to be shoved through the window. It shattered and she hit the ground of the balcony outside. Ryder laughed before charging, jumping into a kick that sent Jade over the edge. She tumbled over the rooftop and rolled to a stop at the edge of a platform. Ryder leaped over to follow. The rain soaked her and her back stung but she stayed down._

"_Get up!" Ryder commanded. When she ignored him he kicked her._

"_I said get up! What's the matter beast? Too kind and gentle to fight back?" he mocked, laughing a moment later at the absurdity. No monster would ever be kind and gentle. Jade frowned and bowed her head. She was actually what he didn't think she was. Tori had changed her. It wasn't a bad change either. She liked what she had become with Tori's guidance. But she was gone now. Ryder walked away to arm himself with a club he fashioned out of a piece of the castle decorations he ripped loose. He held it over his head, ready to swing down on her, when Jade heard Tori's voice on the wind. She opened her eyes to see Tori below. She whispered her name, hope blossoming. Tori yelled and gestured at something. It was then Jade remembered her attacker. With Tori here she couldn't lose. She wouldn't lose. With a fierce roar she caught the makeshift club and pressed back on it, bringing herself up to her full height. She snarled and watched as Ryder's eyes widened._

* * *

Elise actually looked worried for the beast but Annabelle looked ready to fight the villain herself.

"Yeah, get him!" she cheered. Jade chuckled.

"So violent. She definitely gets that from you," Tori pointed out. Jade just smiled without comment and continued.

* * *

_Jade shoved Ryder back and he fell over. He scrambled over the uneven roof while swinging at her but she advanced and dodged when needed, using her claws to traverse the slanted roof with ease. She caught another attempt and sent him flying. He lost his balance and slid down the roof. Jade lunged at him, slamming into him with enough force to send them onto another part of the roof. When they landed Ryder kicked her off. She fell on her back but quickly righted herself. She blended into the shadows, adding her silhouette to the many other beast shaped statues. She watched as Ryder knocked the head off a nearby statue, thinking it was her. When he realized it wasn't his target he scowled._

"_Come on out and fight! Were you in love with her beast? Did you really think she'd want you when she had someone like me?" he taunted. He passed her hiding spot and she swiftly rushed him, dodging his swing to snap at him. He blocked and she bit at the club. He pushed her back and swung again but he missed. She was backed onto a ledge while on the defensive._

"_It's over beast! Victoria is mine!" he declared. White hot rage burned through her. Tori wasn't his! She lunged, disarming him and knocking him over in one blow. She gripped him by the neck and hauled him over the ledge so that he hung by his neck in her grasp._

"_Let me go! Please, don't hurt me! I'll do anything!" he pleaded, his voice cracking. Jade was beyond angry. She knew that had he trespassed before she ever met Tori, she would have already killed the man three times over. But as it were, she was changed for the better, which meant she couldn't kill him. No matter how much she wanted to it wouldn't be right. So, she backed up and deposited him on a solid surface._

"_Get out," she told him, turning away and sparing him. Someone called her and she spun around to see Tori on the balcony above. Her body felt lighter and a smile graced her face._

"_Tori," she responded, happy to see her. Tori held out a hand and Jade climbed the roof up to her. She clasped her smaller hand lightly in her clawed one before holding on to the balcony so that the other could cup Tori's face._

"_You came back," she whispered. Tori leaned into her touch and smiled that bright smile she loved to see. Suddenly, a sharp pain sliced into her side and she roared in agony. Ryder had climbed up after her and drove a hunting knife in her side. He yanked it out and prepared to attack again when he lost his grip. He panicked and his arms pin-wheeled but he had nothing to hold on to. He fell back, plummeting all the way down, but Tori added her strength to Jade's diminishing one to save her from the same fate. Together she was dragged over the side of the balcony where she tumbled to the ground. Blood ran from the deep wound in her side, making it hard to concentrate. Tori lowered her to the ground, not knowing what else to do. She held a hand to Jade's face and her touch was enough to bring her around._

"_You…you came back," she mumbled, her voice already failing her._

"_Of course I came back. I couldn't let them…this is all my fault," Tori replied, leaning down to hug Jade's heavily breathing body. She was struggling, barely holding on._

"_If only I'd gotten here sooner," she said, pulling back to look down at Jade._

"_Maybe…it's better…this way…" Jade tried to answer but was Tori silenced her._

"_Don't talk like that. You'll be ok. We're together now. Everything's going to be fine. You'll see," Tori insisted, not able to accept the alternative._

* * *

Jade heard a sniffle and stopped to look at Elise who was gripping her shirt tightly.

"You ok?" she checked. Elise nodded and Jade kissed her forehead.

"I can stop if you want," she offered.

"No, it's ok," Elise replied. Annabelle was listening with wide eyes while Tori's eyes were watering.

"You too?" Jade directed at her. Tori just nodded. Jade sighed but went on.

* * *

_Jade knew she didn't have much time left. Tori wasn't fooling her. She brought her clawed hand up to Tori's face again and Tori held it there._

"_At…at least…I got to see you…one last time…" she panted, her breathing getting worse. It was ragged now and things were starting to get blurry. Tori held the clawed hand to her face, a tear sliding down her cheek and getting lost in the rain. Her heart constricted when Jade went limp, her head falling back and her beautiful blue-green eyes closed._

"_No," Tori gasped, her hands gripping at Jade's shirt._

"_No, please don't leave me. I love you," she stated through her tears. With that the last petal of the enchanted rose fell. Tori laid her head on Jade and let herself sob. She had no idea how she was going to move on, let alone move from that spot. She didn't even plan to move any time soon except she was forced to when Jade began to glow and hover over the ground. Colorful sparks of light fell down around her. Tori got to her feet and watched in wonder as light enveloped Jade. In a flash she was deposited back on the ground and her cloak fell around her. Tori moved to check on her but suddenly she was stirring and Tori stepped back again. The figure standing before her now was entirely human. She examined herself before turning around to face Tori. The now baggy clothes hung on her slender yet toned frame. She had a pale complexion and black hair. Her face was beautiful and elegant, but it was her eyes that garnered most of Tori's attention. They were the most familiar to her._

"_Tori, it's me," she said, taking her by the hand. Tori had to take a moment to really study the human face in front of her, but going back to those eyes, she knew it was true._

"_It is you," she responded, relief clear in her tone. Jade stroked her face then cupped her jaw, leaning in slowly._

* * *

Annabelle groaned at what was to come but Elise squeaked happily.

"It's part of the ending kiddo. If you don't like it I can always skip over it," Jade addressed Annabelle who nodded. Tori and Elise frowned.

"No," they both whined. Jade shrugged.

"Looks like the vote is in their favor," she told her youngest. Annabelle crossed her arms with a grumpy expression in place. Jade started up where she left off but sped up the next scene just a little for her.

* * *

_Jade's eyes asked for permission to close the gap between them but she gained it when Tori captured her lips with her own. Her hands buried in Jade's hair and Jade held her close in return. A blue light circled them and then burst into the sky like a firework. The sun parted the dark clouds and sent a wave of light over the castle, reverting it back to how it was supposed to look. Little by little, everyone began turning back into themselves._

"_Beck, Andre, Cat!" Jade exclaimed, pulling them into a group hug. Rex came running over with Robbie on his back. When he stopped he turned back into a dog and Robbie landed next to him. Everyone was human again. They all went inside to take into account the other occupants of the castle. Jade wanted to greet them all and make sure they were settling in well enough. Tori didn't leave her side, and days later, she had moved in. Her father was welcomed too. In front of the whole castle they danced together in the ballroom. It wasn't as romantic as that night when they had the floor all to themselves, but it was still special. Jade pressed a kiss to Tori's lips and smiled. Tori returned it and Jade went back to guiding her across the floor in a graceful waltz while their friends and family watched on._

* * *

Jade glanced down at her now tired daughter then looked over at her other daughter. Both looked seconds from knocking out. Tori held back a yawn and smiled in return when Jade smiled at her.

"And they lived happily ever after," Jade finished.

"The end," Annabelle murmured.

"Now mom-ify Wicked," Elise mumbled, her eyelids drooping but she fought to keep them open. She yawned and Jade chuckled.

"Maybe tomorrow. It's time to sleep now," Jade told her.

"But I'm not sleepy," Elise denied.

"Yes you are," Jade said with a nod.

"No I'm not," she muttered, already falling asleep despite what she said. Jade extracted herself from the bed and tucked her in while Tori did the same for Annabelle. Jade turned to Tori and bowed, holding out her hand.

"Merci," Tori said with a curtsy. She took Jade's hand and left the room to go to their own. It had been a longer story this time and Jade was effectively tired of talking. Tori understood this so she had Jade relax while she went to get her some water. Jade downed it, kissed her wife in thanks, and then held her close. They fell asleep smiling. This was their own happily ever after.


End file.
